"I still feel good," the 33-year-old said on Wednesday after his first practice with the team. "Body still feels good. Still love the game and still love to play. Hopefully, I can do some big things this year."

Freeney said his first practice was limited to individual drills because he's still learning the playbook.

"It's a little bit of sensory overload trying to play catch-up with the scheme and terminology," he said.

As for not joining a Chargers practice until 18 days after getting a two-year contract, Freeney said he hadn't planned on signing with the team, which committed $8.75 million to him four days after Melvin Ingram suffered a torn ACL at practice.

"I take this very seriously what I do, all right" Freeney said. "Me not being here right off the bat is not a big deal."

Freeney said he was on the verge of boarding a plane when he OK'd the contract with San Diego.

A preplanned trip took him to France for the Cannes film festival, in addition to Monte Carlo and Rome, also a recent destination for Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers.

Here's what I think about Freeney missing out on a few non-padded practices in May and early June: It's of little or no consequence. Freeney is a seven-time Pro Bowler. He knows how to prepare for a season. He is learning a new defense, but played in a 3-4 last year as well. Freeney understands what it takes to train for a season.

Freeney said Peyton Manning, a friend and longtime former Colts teammate, recruited him once the Colts made it clear they weren't bringing him back. Several factors, Freeney said, led him to balk at committing to the AFC West champions, who later signed Chargers 2012 sack leader Shaun Phillips for $1 million without a signing bonus.

"They had a good chance," Freeney said. "Peyton said, 'Hey come over to Denver.' I went to Denver. I think we were a little bit off on some of the things. Financially, definitely. And a little bit of scheme. Just a little bit. It's just like any other job interview. Some things are good, some things aren't as good. You have to balance it out to figure out what makes it best for you and your family."

Yes, he's eager to take down Manning after not being allowed to tackle him for 11 years.

"One of the things you really take pride in hitting the quarterback," he said. "You kind of want to hit them all, whether they're on your team or not. For me, it's going to be interesting. It's going to be fun. Hopefully I'll get some good opportunities this year."

• Offseason conditioning

Describing his fitness as a little off, Freeney said he'll soon crank up his workouts. He'll run in sand dunes at a facility north of Los Angeles. Later, he'll return to Syracuse to train with a longtime "old school" mentor he likened to Rocky Balboa's trainer. "He knows me and it's worked out so far," he said. He added, "I still haven't gotten to the meat of my training yet."

• Extra motivation

Coming out of Syracuse, Freeney drew motivation from critics who said he was too small to play in the NFL or to become a three-down end. He went on to become the Colts' all-time sack leader with 107.5. But his sack and tackle numbers have declined the last few years.

Freeney said his main role will be to rush off the right edge as a down lineman. If he's asked to retreat in pass coverage, it'll be an adventure, he said. He's encouraged by several younger Chargers, notably defensive linemen Kendall Reyes and Corey Liuget. "Those guys, not only are they big, they're athletic," he said.

Another young linemate, Cam Thomas, is on Freeney's radar as well. Beginning with stretching drills on Wednesday, he began lobbying Thomas for jersey No. 93, the number he wore for his entire Colts career after joining Indy as the No. 11 pick in 2002.